14 Years ago today, the darkest day in Aggie historyPosted by aggressor on 11/18/13 at 11:40 am

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14 years ago today at 2:42 AM the Bonfire collapsed killing 12 students and injuring 27. I can't believe it was that long ago. The next week and a half until the Texas game was one of the most deeply emotional periods of my life. I worked on Bonfire all 4 years at A&M and was up on that stack in the middle of the night many times. It was 7,000 trees all cut by axes and placed in 6 stacks almost 60 feet high. The construction took the entire Fall Semester from cut to stack to burn. One of those that died was from my old Outfit in the Corps and I marched with several of my buddies to the Memorial the night before the Texas game.

My greatest memory of that week though was going to donate blood in Austin for the many injured and having to wait over an hour and a half because so many Texas students and alums were doing the same. I also remember vividly as the Texas Band played Amazing Grace at Kyle Field while raising Aggie flags. I will always have a respect for the University of Texas because of those actions.

I don't know how it was seen to the folks in the SEC or how many here even understood what was happening. I've wondered how those who weren't from Texas may have perceived it. I'm sure many if not most didn't even know we had a Bonfire or what it meant but Bonfire dwarfed every other tradition at a school that is crazy about traditions.

It is the one thing Aggies have no sense of humor about at all. Here is a video for those who aren't familiar: LINK

re: 14 Years ago today, the darkest day in Aggie historyPosted by aggressor on 11/18/13 at 11:50 am to CGSC Lobotomy

Forgot about the Silent T, that was very powerful at the time as well. So many things. Seeing the stack of Aggie Rings piled up in that video where folks left them at the site was something else I had almost forgotten.

Only football game I have cried at and I was in tears several times during that game. One of the hardest things was knowing that Bonfire was gone forever. They have the off campus Bonfire of course but it isn't remotely the same. It was one of the things that truly made A&M unique and brought the campus and alumni together like nothing else. Took me a few years before I could even go back to the Memorial and I still haven't been able to watch "The Burning Desire".

re: 14 Years ago today, the darkest day in Aggie historyPosted by aggressor on 11/18/13 at 11:55 am to EKG

Sorry I missed the morning thread, didn't mean to be Germans.

Yes, I worked on Bonfire all 4 years from cut to stack. My Senior Year my Outfit in the Corps got the game ball from RC Slocum at Bonfire and ran 3 circles around the burning stack en route to running a 93 mile relay to take the ball to to Austin. I'll never forget the heat that thing put off being that close.

quote:As far as I'm concerned, that was the single greatest play in Aggie history. I cried in the stands.

As much as the '11 Thanksgiving game stung, if it came down to it, I would much rather have won the Bonfire game. Can't remember the campus needing a win in a worse way. And that need had zero to do with the standings.